Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has revoked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s order to reserve government-run and private hospitals in the national capital only for Delhiites.
Baijal, who’s also the chairman of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, decided to revoke Kejriwal’s order a day after the latter announced that government-run and private hospitals in the national capital will only treat those living in Delhi.
In his online briefing on Sunday, Kejriwal had said that more than 90% of people had supported the idea of reserving Delhi’s hospitals for those residing in the national capital. He had said, “It’s, therefore, decided that government and private hospitals in Delhi will only treat patients from the national capital.”
This had prompted several leaders cutting across party lines to launch a tirade against Kejriwal. Former Union Minister P Chidambaram had asked, “Shri Kejriwal says that Delhi’s hospitals are reserved for Delhiites. Can he explain who, according to him, are Delhiites? If I live or work in Delhi, do I qualify to be a Delhiite?”
Baijal said in his order that everyone will be treated in Delhi without ‘discrimination,’ adding that treatment ‘should not be denied to any patient on grounds of being a non-resident.’
Invoking powers as the Chairperson of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, the Delhi LG ordered that no person should be denied treatment on the ground of not being a resident of Delhi.@LtGovDelhi @ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/MuHq6Ehvi3
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) June 8, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has assumed alarming proportions in Delhi in the last few days. The city has reported more than 28,000 positive cases of coronavirus with the death toll climbing to 812. After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Delhi has now become the third worst-hit state by the coronavirus pandemic in India. Significantly, the spike in COVID-19 cases took place after two months of severe lockdown.
The news of Baijal revoking Kejriwal’s order was reported on a day the Delhi chief minister was reported to have fallen ill. According to his party spokespersons, Kejriwal fell ill on Sunday afternoon and was likely to go for the COVID-19 test on Tuesday.
